400 Years of Silence

400 years they waited.  400 years of nothing.  Prophets had come and gone.  Malachi had left the Israelites with a stern warning to remember the law and to remember that God would be sending another prophet and ultimately sending the Messiah. But 400 years had come and gone and nothing. 400 years of silence from Heaven.  The Israelites didn’t have the best track record when it came to following God and He had given them chance after chance.  I’m sure some felt He had finally given up on them.  As generations came and went I’m sure the faithful dwindled.  They probably questioned like many of us “If God loved us then why is He not here?”  I’m sure many doubted the faithfulness of God.  After all, He had promised to send another prophet to prepare their hearts and it had been 400 years.  Where was God?  Had He finally given up on His beloved people?  Had He found another people that would be faithful to Him?  Was He going to scratch the whole plan and start over? 

The story of God comes to a despairing moment where you feel that all hope is lost for this people.  They couldn’t be faithful, God had promised to send another prophet after Malachi, and 400 years later still nothing. But then, Christ Jesus arrives. God hadn’t changed.  He was still faithful and to restore His people it wouldn’t take just another prophet.  He chose to clothe Himself in human flesh and come down not just to break the silence but to be with His people.  Because God loved the World so much He GAVE, He came, He broke the silence.  He stepped into the mess of humanity and chose to dwell not in a temple and not in the words of an appointed prophet but He chose to dwell in human flesh.  The creator became Emmanuel and dwelt with the created. 

Ephesians 2:12-13: Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in this world, But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 

Just when it looks like God’s plan is failing, whether there is 400 years of silence or we are separated because of our sin and hopeless, Jesus arrives on the scene.  He saves the day. We can rest easy because when life is falling to pieces and we can’t make sense of God’s plan, He can.  

Merry Christmas.